In­quiry into lo­cal elec­tion cam­paign spend­ing

DUBBO RE­GIONAL COUN­CIL elec­tions are next sched­uled for 2020. That elec­tion will be gov­erned by a joint stand­ing com­mit­tee on elec­toral mat­ters which last month re­leased a rec­om­men­da­tion to amend the Elec­toral Fund­ing Act 2018 and cap cam­paign ex­pen­di­ture.

The re­port said the “elec­toral con­test should be a bat­tle of com­pet­ing vi­sions and ideas, not com­pet­ing bank bal­ances”.

Un­der the rec­om­mended model, may­oral can­di­dates are al­lowed ad­di­tional spend­ing. Third party cam­paign­ers linked to can­di­dates will also be capped.